Your Treatment

UNM Cancer Center Chemotherapy Nursing Team

Treatment for each individual will vary; you and your team of physicians will determine the best course of therapy for you. Below, you will find basic descriptions of the different treatment options. Ask your physician for more detailed information.

Chemotherapy | 505-272-4946

Chemotherapy is a set of drugs used to treat certain types of cancer. Chemotherapy is used to cure cancer, slow its growth, keep it from spreading or relieve some of the symptoms it causes. We provide chemotherapy treatment in our clinic on an outpatient basis during regular business hours. Our oncology nurses in the UNMH Infusion Center at the UNM Cancer Center are experts in cancer care. They specialize in chemotherapy administration. The oncology nursing team provides support and education to patients and their families about chemotherapy, safety and side effects.

Clinical Trials | 505-272-5490

Our Clinical Research Office offers interested patients the option of participating in a clinical trial, if they meet the criteria of a specific study. Clinical trials are research studies designed to test new cancer treatments and to find new and better ways to diagnose and prevent cancer. To learn more about clinical trials, including potential benefits and risks, or to find out if a clinical trial is right for you, contact our Clinical Research Office at 505-272-5490 or by email. You can also call our statewide clinical trials network, the New Mexico Cancer Care Alliance, at 505-272-7813.

Radiation Therapy | 505-925-0107

Radiation Therapy uses beams of high energy radiation to kill cancer cells. We have four radiation vaults with the most advanced equipment available. Our TomoTherapy Radiation Treatment System, the state’s first, moves the treatment beam around the patient as the treatment couch moves, just like a CT (Computerized Tomography) scan. This technique minimizes damage to healthy tissue by pinpointing tumors with precise radiation beams and that means patients can sometimes receive fewer treatments. Our Elekta linear accelerators also use CT to visualize the area before treatment, allowing precise tumor targeting while sparing healthy tissue. Radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons can treat inoperable brain tumors with Stereotactic Radio Surgery using the Elekta system. Additionally, we offer Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT); Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment techniques; and Brachytherapy radiation implants to treat many cancers without irradiating healthy tissues. The High Dose Rate Brachytherapy we now offer for Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation requires fewer days than conventional external beam irradiation.

Surgical Specialties | 505-272-4946

Our team of highly skilled surgeons is made up of some of the most outstanding specialists in the world. Among the surgical specialties they practice are: breast and women’s cancers, cancers of the digestive tract, bone, lung, esophagus, prostate, kidney, bladder, chest, head and neck. We are pioneering techniques in minimally invasive surgeries using the state’s first Da Vinci Surgical Robot, which results in faster recovery times and less pain.